No place like House

December 28, 2014

Story By: Phoebe Neel |

To celebrate an anniversary, birthday, or any other special affair, Ocean House is a restaurant with a view as grandiose as the occasion. Kissing the Waikiki shoreline, the restaurant, located in Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel, serves up fantastic fare with a full ocean view.

“This is the best place to eat and see the green flash,” says general manager David Nagaishi, referring to the blink-and-you-miss-it moment of sunset transformation, when the sun will momentarily appear green at the horizon line. To steal your attention from the sunset, however, Ocean House offers a full range of top-notch dinner fare with local fish and island flair. The breezy, casually classy atmosphere is decorated with mementos of old Hawaiiana for a plantation house vibe.

Curly Kale Salad ($7.50) L. TABUDLO PHOTOS

Seafood Lau Lau ($34.50) L. FRIEL PHOTO

Blackened Prime Rib ($37.50)

“Locals know us for our Blackened Prime Rib ($37.50),” says Nagaishi, although they may not know it takes a full 10-12 hours of slow roasting to achieve its extraordinary texture. For more traditional fare, Ocean House also offers its own spin on lau lau. Seafood Lau Lau consists ($34.50) of fresh mahi mahi, shrimp, scallops, and sweet potatoes, cooked in soy-sake garlic ginger sauce and served over rice. Ocean House only relies on fresh island fish, and opah is an especially popular selection. Onaga and opakapaka often are featured as rotating specials of the night.

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For those seeking lighter fare, Curly Kale Salad ($7.50) plays with sensations of crunchiness, sweetness and tanginess. Dressed in basil-papaya seed vinaigrette, kale is topped with papaya, fresh avocado and strawberries that add rich sweetness to the dish. Impeccably toasted almonds provide a crunch in every bite.

The aforementioned dishes are available on the restaurant’s menu, and the chef has surprises in store for the new year. A specials menu available Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 boasts lilikoi glazed king salmon and garlic kahuku shrimp, with haupia creme brulee to follow. After being fully satiated with offerings like these, one can toast to time past and look forward into the promising view of things to come.

Ocean House

Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel
2169 Kalia Road
923-2277
Open daily, 7 to 11 a.m. (breakfast) and 5 to 10 p.m. (dinner)OceanHouseWaikiki.com
Note: Validated valet parking is available, and reservations recommended but not required. Reservations can be made via phone, or through OpenTable.com.